Browsed by
Tag: writing

Writing Retreat Andalusia, Spain

Writing Retreat Andalusia, Spain

Comments 0 Comment

2nd – 7th October 2024 Welcome! Bookings are open! This writing retreat is set in a pretty white mountain village, in the heart of Grazalema National Park close to Ubrique, Grazalema and Ronda. Andalusia not only has a history of fascinating writers from Maria Zambrano, Federico Garcia Lorca and Antonio Machado to present day authors such as Elvira Lindo, but this stunning landscape has also long inspired national and international authors such as Maria Dueñas, Almudena Grandes, Laurie Lee, Washington…

Read More Read More

3 books in a pile
Becoming a better writer: 5 books I want to read this year

Becoming a better writer: 5 books I want to read this year

Becoming a better writer involves many things, including one of my favourite pastimes: reading. While I have always read, I have noticed that since I have been writing more fiction, I have become more demanding about what I read. By that I mean, if a book isn’t doing it for me, I’m likely to give up on it a lot earlier than I would have done before. I’ve also become more demanding about the writer’s mastery of language. Perhaps, this…

Read More Read More

A table in the sunshine with notebooks and a copy of The Cartography of Others by Catherine McNamara
Living with a writer: 6 days in Italy with Catherine McNamara

Living with a writer: 6 days in Italy with Catherine McNamara

I step off the train at Vicenza and make my way through the station pulling my suitcase behind me. I’m wearing one backpack on my back and the other on my front. Maybe, one day I’ll learn to travel lightly. I stop outside to take in the view of the wide open park area and the low lying hills in the distance. After the high mountains of Trentino where I’ve spent the last three weeks, it makes a nice change…

Read More Read More

Open notebook for writing and pencil with a view of the sea and the sunrise
3 ways writing can help you move forward

3 ways writing can help you move forward

Have you ever considered that 10 minutes of writing for enjoyment could add a positive aspect to your day? Many of us write everyday for work purposes, on instant messaging apps or to fill in paperwork. But what if a regular daily writing practice of a different kind could not only help you to clarify ideas but also to feel good afterwards? Here are three ways writing can help you move forward 1 Writing helps you to let go of…

Read More Read More

Creative writing for wellbeing & discovery
Creative Writing for Wellbeing & Discovery; what can happen when you are curious about the process of writing?

Creative Writing for Wellbeing & Discovery; what can happen when you are curious about the process of writing?

When writing, we tend to concentrate on the finished product; a book, a poem or an essay. But, what happens if, instead of focusing on the outcome, we focus on the actual process of writing itself? This is what I began to explore in 2018 when, as a volunteer, I started to run Creative Writing for Wellbeing sessions. As we progressed through the sessions, I discovered that the participants benefited enormously from this type of writing in a group.  It…

Read More Read More

Totleigh Barton Manor House Devon
A writing week with the Arvon Foundation

A writing week with the Arvon Foundation

Have you ever wondered what it’s like to spend a week away writing? I am an enormous fan of spending creative time away with others on an organised writing holiday. So, I am really pleased to be sharing this fabulous guest post by writer, Hilary Smith. Hilary, who is co-author of a non-fiction book for primary school teachers published by Routledge, wanted to refresh her creative writing skills, so she attended a residential writing week hosted by the Arvon Foundation….

Read More Read More

2021 inspiring art Fleur Barnfather
New year, new stationery

New year, new stationery

Comments 0 Comment

As a writer, new stationery is always welcome. As much as possible, I like to buy sustainable stationery, dairies and notebooks that either support charities, local artisans or are eco-friendly and Fairtrade. Surprisingly, this is often inexpensive and can be much better value than buying mainstream. Living vibrantly calendar This year, I decided to kick-start the year with a beautifully painted calendar by Bristol-based artist, Fleur Barnfather. Each month comes with a stunning copy of one of Fleur’s paintings, an…

Read More Read More

Local writers
Why I love using Local Writers and Bloggers to Emphasise Learning Points

Why I love using Local Writers and Bloggers to Emphasise Learning Points

Comments 0 Comment

Like many other areas, Bristol is blessed with lots of talented and competent writers to choose from. So, this week to inspire participants on the Develop Your Writing Skills course, we looked at blogging techniques through the work of local bloggers, writers and authors in Bristol. The learning The learning outcome for this session was to identify different types of blog posts and articles as part of the overall outcome of writing one. Explaining to participants how to write different…

Read More Read More

from me to you
From Me to You – letter writing with a difference

From Me to You – letter writing with a difference

Comments 0 Comment

Alison and Brian, the facilitators for the workshop From Me to You, got stuck in Bristol’s infamous traffic congestion on the way to the venue. While that may have sent many in to states of anger, impatience or nerves, Alison and Brian arrived with an air of serenity about them that made it difficult to believe they had actually crossed Bristol in rush hour. I was struck by the aura of contentment and peacefulness that surrounded them throughout the workshop….

Read More Read More

Shopping on retreat Spain
Creating a welcome pack; Why I love to shop locally on retreat

Creating a welcome pack; Why I love to shop locally on retreat

Comments 0 Comment

Follow my blog with Bloglovin As a retreat host in Spain, I provide a welcome pack for my guests. In reality, it’s not just a welcome pack. It’s a lovingly thought-out and carefully planned display of fresh and scrumptious goodies waiting to be tucked into. It adds a wow factor for the guest and provides me with an inadvertent opportunity to build relationships. Market Vs Supermarket Of course, I could just pop into a large supermarket, saving myself time and…

Read More Read More